


Will you still love me?

by Destinee Zara (LadyDestineeZara)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Light Angst, M/M, Mild mention of blood and injuries, Set right after the Trials of Marmora (S2E8), Shiro (Voltron) is a A+ boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 09:55:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13785048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDestineeZara/pseuds/Destinee%20Zara
Summary: The real issue was that Keith needed to accept his Galra heritage.He is Galra.The enemy.Theirenemy.He had been avoiding looking Shiro in the eye since the revelation after the trials. He wasterrifiedof what he would see on those brown eyes that he loved so much.(But maybe he didn't need to be).---My Sheithlentine present for Kya!





	Will you still love me?

**Author's Note:**

> This story is my Sheith-Valentine present to Kya! ([@wonder-kya](http://wonder-kya.tumblr.com/)) =D  
> I picked one of the last themes you gave to me (sorry for bothering you about the prompts x_X):  
>  **Talking about Keith's heritage, being half galra, what does that change?**  
>  I hope you like it! <3
> 
> Now, to the story!

' _The only way this is possible is if Galra blood runs through your veins_.'

_Galra._

The ones enslaving the entire universe.

The enemy.

 _Their_ enemy.

Thoughts like that had been running through Keith’s mind non stop since he heard those words.

_"The only way this is possible is if Galra blood runs through your veins."_

_He was Galra_.

There was no denial of the fact, no sweet lie he could hide behind. Antok had been very clear when he said that only Galra could awake the blade. Of course, that also raised a lot of questions about Keith’s own heritage and origins. How much of him was Galra? Did his dad know? How did the Galra end up on Earth? Who was his mother?

However, those were left in the background.

The real issue was that he needed to accept his Galra heritage.

_He is Galra._

The enemy.

 _Their_ enemy.

He couldn’t hide even if he wanted to. Hiding it would make him feel as if he was betraying the rest of the team Voltron, holding back sensitive information. He needed to come clean, which seemed like an impossibly painful task.

Unfortunately, but thankfully, he didn’t need to disclose anything.

Kolivan explained that to the others as soon as they questioned him to why the Blade of Marmora had joined them so willingly.

The way they looked at Keith after that revelation…

Keith was hyper-aware of all the reactions of everyone in the room.

Lance took a step back as if he was afraid Keith would attack him at any given moment.

Hunk’s eyes widened. His hands trembled a little with tension and anxiety.

Pidge frowned and crossed her arms with her fists clenched. Not a terrible fearsome reaction per se, but still hurts.

Coran kept a neutral expression. A little too neutral. As if Kolivan had just talked about the weather, not some big revelation.

Allura…

Allura had the worst reaction.

Unlike Lance, she took a step forward. As if _she_ was ready to jump on Keith and to maul and maim him.

" _Galra_?!" her tone was venomous and outraged.

Kolivan hesitated for a moment, considering her reaction and the best answer to that question.

"Yes… Indeed. He has to have Galra blood to awake the blade."

"He doesn’t look Galra," Pidge noted with a dry tone.

Kolivan nodded stiffly.

"Perhaps not a full Galra, but some ancestor must have been."

" _Half-_ Galra then," Allura said with frowning lips.

Antok grunted.

"That’s a safe bet."

Allura next words just added more salt to the wound.

 _"A half-breed_."

Kolivan had sighed with a mixture of resignation and annoyance. Antok clenched his fist next to his own blade, as if ready to unsheath it.

Thankfully, Coran stepped on to avoid conflict.

"Well then! We’re all tired, and it is for the best to take some rest. I’m positive we can discuss all the details of our alliance by tomorrow."

There was a moment of tense silence, with the Voltron team staring at the Blade of Marmora delegation, the delegation staring right back and Coran glaring at Allura.

The tension was tangible.

In the end, Kolivan nodded in a stiff motion again.

"Very well. We will continue this in the morning."

Coran smiled diplomatically.

"Excellent! Shiro, could you show our guests their rooms? I think the Warriors Wing, on the corridor parallel to the Paladin’s Hall, would be great."

Keith didn’t see what expression his lover made. He had been avoiding looking Shiro in the eye since the revelation. He was _terrified_ of what he would see on those brown eyes that he loved so much.

Shiro’s tone was light. He sighed in relief right before answering.

"Sure, no problem." he turned to Kolivan and the other agents of the Blade "Please, follow me."

As soon as they left, Keith felt as if the tension became even heavier.

All eyes were on him.

Looking down in shame and without saying a word, he exited the main bridge, walking fast towards his room. He was just slow enough not to catch up with Shiro and the others (his wounds wouldn’t let him catch up with them anyway).

Right at the beginning of their adventures as paladins, Allura and Coran gave each one of the paladins a room. During that time, Keith and Shiro were trying to pretend that they weren’t in a relationship in front of the others. They thought it would be too hard to explain their involvement and to explain how it wouldn’t interfere with the team’s dynamics. However, one morning at the breakfast table, Lance (of all people) sighed dramatically and asked when the two of them would stop sneaking around at night and just sleep in the same room already. All the others agreed. After that, the couple had just started using Shiro’s room every night.

This time, however, Keith didn’t want to go to their shared room. At least not to stay.

He didn’t want to face Shiro.

Thus, Keith picked some clothes in their room and went to his old room to tend to his wounds.

The trials really took a toll on him. Walking too fast (or breathing too deep) would cause him great pain. The Blade had provided Keith with some gel to help the healing process (especially on the gash on his shoulder), but the wounds were still open. He should go to a healing pod, but he was feeling too ashamed and disgusted with himself to bother anyone to help with that. He didn't know if Allura and the others would allow him to use a healing pod anyway. He was afraid to ask.

He just grabbed a small first aid kit and isolate himself in an empty room to tend to the wounds himself.

Taking his boots and the plates of his armor off was already a torture. His muscles hurt from moving again and breathing was a small challenge. The chest plate was particularly hard. Keith’s breath hitched and felt lightheaded with the pain. He received a lot of kicks and punches there during the Trials. Many times he felt the air being pushed out of his lungs by the power of the blows he took. Keith feared that he had at least three broken ribs and he couldn't do anything about it.

If taking the plates off was torture, taking off the undersuit was martyrdom.

The gel had stopped the blood by drying over the wound and under the suit. It glued Keith’s wounded and sensitive skin with the undersuit material, making it twice as painful to take off than to take off the Marmoran suit or the plates.

He had a few gashes on his body.

One on his left arm.

One on his back.

The one on his right shoulder, which was the worst of them.

He also had many smaller cuts, courtesy of the Trials of Marmora.

Keith held his breath and clenched his jaw when he started to remove the suit from over his right shoulder. Tears bloomed in his eyes due to the pain and he held back a scream.

He whimpered, holding his voice and curling up.

As if trying to get even smaller.

Keith could feel the blood running again from the wound, now that the gel had been forcibly removed.

A few tears ran down his face.

He felt even more pathetic than ever before.

He felt used.

Disposable.

Tarnished.

Keith sniffed, pulling the whole suit from his right arm. He was dreading the burning pain he would feel during the shower to clean that wound in particular. A few more tears ran his face. He bit his lip.

He heard the voosh of the door opening.

Keith was crouched on the floor in the farther corner possible with his back turned to the door. Thus, he had to look over his shoulder to see who entered the room.

Shiro.

It was the first time they were looking at each other in the eye since the revelation of Keith's ancestry.

Shiro stared at him agape and with wide eyes. His hand was at the doorway as if he was holding himself back from running inside the room. His muscles looked tense. Keith assumed it was either because he was holding himself back from attacking him (a Galra, the enemy, a traitor) or because he was having another flashback remembering his time being tortured by the Galra.

Keith sniffed and hold back a sob. He didn't want to feel even more pathetic than what he was already feeling. He looked away from Shiro, looking back to his lap. His shoulders lowered and his wound hurt like hell with that simple movement. He was ashamed to notice that he was trembling. Keith bit his lip again and tried to swallow his tears.

He didn’t want to see the fear or hate on his lover’s face.

That would be worse than death.

He heard the door close and Shiro to take a step towards him.

Keith closed his eyes tightly. He trembled and held back another sob.

Everything hurts.

He expected Shiro to shout. He expected him to scream that Keith betrayed him. He expected Shiro to use him as an immediate punch bag and then to leave him, never once looking back. The memory of the illusion created by the suit for the trials was still another open wound in his heart, and maybe the most painful of them all.

However, Shiro didn't scream or left him. Instead, he asked a question in the softest tone possible (as if not to scare a fearful cat).

"Sweetheart, why are you here by yourself?"

He took quiet steps and then crouched near Keith in a slow and calm movement. He touched Keith's back softly with his warm flesh hand.

Keith hiccuped while trying to hold back a full sob.

Shiro continued, rubbing his back gently, avoiding the cuts and being tender over the hematomas.

"Those look nasty, baby. You have to go to a healing pod."

Keith trembled in disgust with himself. He still stared at his lap instead of looking at Shiro in the eye.

"Come on, baby... We can go together..."

Keith shuddered and tried to get away from Shiro’s hand.

"Don’t touch me."

Shiro moved his hand away as if it had been burned.

Keith sniffed and desperately tried to dry his tears with the back of his hand.

They stayed with that heavy silence over their shoulders for some time. Keith was still trying to hold back his sobs, which resulted in pitiful little hiccups. He looked away from the man he loved, the fear of the ultimate rejection still clouding his mind and making his heart ache.

Shiro was the one that broke the silence, and once again he spoke quietly and softly. As if he was worried to not scare Keith.

"Keith…"

"You don't have to pretend..." Keith was ashamed that he couldn't hold back a small sob and that he left that particular sentence unfinished. However, he kept talking "You don't have to be here."

Shiro hesitated for one moment.

"Do you want me not to be here?"

Keith clenched his hand, still not looking at the other.

"It doesn't matter what I want."

"Of course it does, baby…"

"Stop calling me that."

Shiro made another pause.

"Why?" he still used a soft tone "Are you feeling bad for the hologram of me during the trials?"

Keith didn't answer.

"Keith that wasn't me. I don't think any of that of you."

"You do now," he answered with his jaw clenched and holding his wounded shoulder. It still bled and hurt.

"I don't think any of that of you." Shiro said with conviction "You’re one of the most selfless, determined and good people I've ever know."

The praises seemed to hurt even more than any scream or cruel accusation. Keith feared that they were empty and untrue.

The sentence casted upon Keith's head sounded louder.

' _The only way this is possible is if Galra blood runs through your veins_.'

Shiro touched his back again, rubbing it with gentleness.

"You're the greatest person I know, and I lov-"

"I’m _Galra_!" Keith interrupted him (he suspect it would hurt even more to hear that from Shiro's lips) "I’m from the same race that abused and tortured you! I am the same type of monster we fight against!"

Keith felt like a complete, disgusting, pathetic and shameful disgrace. Saying that out loud seemed to only make things worse and he couldn't hold his sobs and tears anymore.

Shiro was silent for a long moment. His hand stood still in the middle of Keith's back.

At last, Shiro moved his hand away. Keith dreaded that that was the last touch he would receive from the love of his life. However, contrary to what Keith believed, Shiro cupped Keith's face gently.

"Keith, look at me." Keith shook his head and closed his eyes tightly "Keith, baby, please…"

Keith allowed Shiro’s hand to gently move his face, so they would face each other. He still kept his eyes closed though.

"Look at me…" Keith shook his head "Please, Keith."

Slowly, so very slowly and full of fear, Keith opened his eyes. He was still crying and there were still tears running down his face.

Shiro had a small smile and an earnest and sincere expression on his face. He held Keith's face between his hands as if he was the most precious person in the whole universe.

"Nothing changed, baby. You are still the same person I knew, the same person I loved yesterday, the person I love today and that I’ll love tomorrow."

After being unsuccessful on holding back a sob, Keith asked:

"How can you be so certain?"

Shiro chuckled.

"Do you still like cherry flavored bubblegum?"

Keith blinked with confusion, still sniffing.

"Yes?"

"And do you remember our first kiss under the stars after our race in the desert?"

"Yeah, but why does-"

"And would you still want to punch Zarkon in the face if you had the chance?"

"Of course!"

Shiro gave him a bright smile.

"Then nothing changed. You're still my cherry bomb, still my baby."

Keith pulled away from Shiro’s touch with outrage.

"Don't you get it!? I am a fucking _Galra,_ Shiro! **_Galra!_** "

"So what? I'm Japanese."

"It’s not the same thing!"

"Yes, it is! Your blood doesn’t change who you are, Keith. Your _action_ determines that." he smiled again "And you’re a good man, Keith Kogane."

Keith looked down, hugging himself for comfort.

"Of all people, how can you still say that?"

Once again, Shiro cupped his face.

"Because nothing changed at all." he answered quietly, in a gentle whisper and touching their foreheads in an intimate gesture "I don’t see you as any less than before. If anything, I’m just more proud of you for standing your ground, for keep being the head-strong fiery wonder-boy I fell madly in love with…"

That was the moment that Keith broke down. He didn’t try to hold his tears any longer.

He cried like a baby, sobbing quietly and trying to be as small as he could.

As gentle as possible, Shiro held him, rubbing his back carefully, minding his wounds.

Whispering sweet praises, Shiro helped him out of his suit, kissing around the wounds whenever Keith winced in pain. After that, Shiro helped him to get clean and to put some comfy pajamas. However, instead of leading him to bed, Shiro pulled Keith by the hand towards the door.

"Come on, baby. You still need to go to a healing pod."

Keith bit his lip.

"I don’t think they’d let me…"

Shiro smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Bullshit. You’re still a paladin of Voltron and their friend. Of course they’ll let you use the pod. Besides," Shiro smirked "you’re my boyfriend. If they even try to stop you from using the healing pod they’ll have to deal with me."

Keith couldn’t help but let out a tearful smile. Shiro own smug expression softened at the sweet sign and he kissed that small smile away.

Going to the healing pod and back was a very quiet and soft moment. Keith was still feeling vulnerable, and Shiro handled him with the very same tenderness he always used when Keith showed that fragile side of his.

Still holding his hand, Shiro took them to their shared room. He guided Keith to bed and made him sit while he changed clothes and prepared to sleep, following the same routine of every normal day. Shiro would smile over his shoulder and wink playfully. Keith just smiled and watched his lover, admiring his body and basking on his sweet little demonstrations of affection.

Shiro laid them to sleep, but he only settled after he kissed Keith’s shoulder, over the faint scar that was all that was left from the ugly garsh.

They lay in bed, staring at each other’s eyes.

"Nothing changed." Shiro repeated caressing Keith’s face with his thumb "I still love you to the moon and back."

"Even if I turn purple?" Keith asked letting some tears run down his face again.

Shiro smiled tenderly.

"Yes, and even if your ears got bigger and your eyes got all yellow."

Keith snorted.

"As if you didn’t like cat ears in bed."

"You know me way too well," Shiro chuckled kissing Keith’s lips playfully.

They stared deeply at each other’s eyes, just feeling their love.

Shiro fell asleep first (like always. It wasn’t unusual for Keith to stay awake just a little bit more admiring his boyfriend’s face).

"Nothing changed," he said quietly with a smile, feeling somehow at peace with himself on that moment.

At that moment, Keith couldn’t help but not feel his insecurities. They would come back, of course. He was just in the beginning of his process of accepting himself and the new discovery of who he was. But that moment was only about love.

About how Shiro’s feelings for him hadn’t changed.

If Shiro could accept him then, maybe, Keith could start to accept himself too.

Nothing changed.

He was still himself.

And he still loved Takashi Shirogane with all his heart.

Maybe being half-Galra wasn’t so terrible after all…

**Author's Note:**

> Making off of this story:
> 
> Phewf! It's finally done! \o/  
> I had, like, **a lot** of problems with the prompts from this exchange.  
>  I have to confess that most of the first ones seemed better suited for fanart than to fanfic. Which it's not a problem _per se_ , but it gave me a lot of trouble to figure out a plot out of it (especially for the lack of angst).  
> I tried my very damn best to do a fluff out of those (I have 2,5 chapters of a very boring pre-kerb fanfic to prove), but in the end I couldn't do that. The characters were too ooc and the whole story was, well, boring.  
> So I'm very grateful for the patience you had with me Kya, for givin me more prompts. It really helped that one of them was in the form of a question, so I could answer to it.  
> I hope you like it =D
> 
> About the story itself, there isn't much to talk about =3  
> Shiro knows how to handle his baby when Keith is feeling down and they get happy in the end (or as happy as they can be on S2 LOL).
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed the story (especially you, Kya <3)! Leave a kudo and a comment if you liked!
> 
> I'm on tumblr if you want to find me, [@wonderland-s-angel](http://wonderland-s-angel.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> Comments help me to get going, you know. Like, SERIOUSLY, they keep me going. I feed on them and I'm always hungry.
> 
> See you around kids,
> 
> Bye-bye! o/


End file.
